George O'Brien aspirational drawing of Dunedin from the 1860s, First Church had not yet been built and many other depicted buildings never were.
Middlemarch railroad 1891
Airport 1962
Matanaka Farm 1843
Oldest settlement (1300s)
Burning of Otakou 1817
Founder
William Cargill
Built
1848
The villages and then city that lay at the head of Otago Harbor never existed in isolation, but have always been a staging ground between inland Otago and the wider world. While Dunedin's current official city limits extend north to Waikouaiti, inland to Middlemarch and south to the Taieri River mouth, this articles focus is the history of the Dunedin urban area, only mentioning Mosgiel, the Otago Peninsula, Port Chalmers and inland Otago for context.
Archaeological evidence shows the first Māori occupation of the wider Dunedin area occurred within decades of their arrival in New Zealand (1280–1320).[1][2] The population at this time was concentrated along the southern coast and they relied on seals and to a lesser extent moa for the bulk of their food.[3] With reduced moa and seal numbers the population slumped. Elsewhere in New Zealand it grew again with the evolution of the horticulture based Classic culture, necessitating fortified villages (pā). However, this culture did not fully spread to the colder southern South Island. In this period there were two Māori settlements in what is now central Dunedin—Ōtepoti and Puketai.
Initially European contact was made by sealers in the 1790s and then whalers, both being focused in the lower harbour around Otakou. Both Ōtepoti and Puketai were abandoned by 1826 reflecting the massive loss of life from measles, population displacements from the Musket Wars and the new economic opportunities provided by Europeans.[4][5][3]
In 1848 the Free Church of Scotland organised two ships to sail to the head of the Otago Harbour and found the colony of Dunedin. Soon after the discovery of gold inland from Dunedin in 1861 led to the new city becoming the New Zealand's main industrial and commercial centre. The University of Otago, the oldest university in New Zealand, was founded in Dunedin in 1869 also as a result of the Gold Rush.[6] The successful export of frozen meat in the 1880s provided an extra impetus to Dunedin's importance and growth. During the 20th century, influence and activity moved away from Dunedin to the North Island.[7] Dunedin then re-branded itself based on its culture, history and proximity to the wildlife of the Otago Peninsula.
^Irwin, Geoff; Walrond, Carl (2009-03-04). "When was New Zealand first settled? - The date debate". Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 2010-02-14.
^Cite error: The named reference Bunce2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abWest, Jonathan (2018). The Face of Nature: An Environmental History of the Otago Peninsula. Otago University Press. ISBN 9781927322383.
^Bathgate 1890.
^Entwisle 2005.
^Otago, University of. "Our History". www.otago.ac.nz. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
^Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "11. – Otago region – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
and 23 Related for: History of the Dunedin urban area information
reasons, the city has long been considered one of New Zealand's four main centres. TheurbanareaofDunedin lies on the central-eastern coast of Otago,...
An urbanarea, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. This...
Lower Hutt entered the city rankings in sixth place between Tauranga and Dunedin. The table below contains all "major urbanareas" (100,000 or more residents)...
This list of historic places in Dunedin covers all historical areas, places and buildings on the New Zealand Heritage List / Rārangi Kōrero that fall entirely...
"place of red earth", the latter referring to the reddish-ochre clay which is common in thearea around Dunedin. "Otago" is also the old name ofthe European...
Matamata ) is an urban satellite ofDunedin in Otago, New Zealand, fifteen kilometres west ofthe city's centre. Since the re-organisation of New Zealand local...
Street, in Dunedin, New Zealand, is located in the residential suburb of North East Valley, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) northeast ofDunedin's central business...
settlement within the boundaries ofthe city ofDunedin, New Zealand. It is located 25 kilometres from the city centre at the eastern end of Otago Peninsula...
The Southern Cemetery in the New Zealand city ofDunedin was the first major cemetery to be opened in the city. The cemetery was opened in 1858, ten years...
Waitati, from the Māori Waitete, is a small seaside settlement in Otago, New Zealand, within the city limits ofDunedin. It is located close to the tidal mudflats...
suburb of South Dunedin. This area, which was reclaimed during the mid-twentieth century, was the location ofthe bay for which the suburb is named. The Southern...
occurred in theDunedin, New Zealand suburb of Abbotsford. It was the largest landslide in a built-up area in New Zealand's history, resulting in the destruction...
Urban bus transport is the main form of public transport in New Zealand. Two ofthe country's largest cities, Auckland and Wellington, also have suburban...
called "The Garden of Enlightenment". The garden commemorates the contribution of Chinese people to thehistory and culture ofDunedin. The city has long had...
population of 14,000, Oamaru is the 28th largest urbanarea in New Zealand, and the third largest in Otago behind Dunedin and Queenstown. The town is the seat...
ancient name of Edinburgh, Dunedin. Dundee's history as a major town dates to the charter in which King William granted the earldom of Dundee to his...
high proportion of native bush and national parks, and the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers. The main centres are Christchurch and Dunedin. The economy relies...
represent the 134,600 people ofDunedin. Since October 2022, the Mayor ofDunedin is Jules Radich, who succeeded Aaron Hawkins. The council consists of a mayor...
The Aramoana massacre was a mass shooting that occurred on 13 November 1990 in the small seaside township of Aramoana, northeast ofDunedin, New Zealand...
the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located 157 km (98 mi) southwest of Christchurch and about 196 km (122 mi) northeast ofDunedin on the...
embracing its industrial past. Located in South Dunedin, New Zealand, theDunedin Gasworks Museum consists of a conserved engine house featuring a working...